editorNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94David Schaper is a NPR National Desk reporter based in Chicago. In this role, he covers news in Chicago and around the Midwest. Additionally he reports on a broad range of important social, cultural, political, and business issues in the region. The range of Schaper's reporting has included profiles of service members killed in Iraq, and members of a reserve unit returning home to Wisconsin. He produced reports on the important political issues in key Midwest battleground states, education issues related to "No Child Left Behind," the bankruptcy of United Airlines as well as other aviation and transportation issues, and the devastation left by tornadoes, storms, blizzards, and floods in the Midwest. Prior to joining NPR, Schaper spent nine years working as an award-winning reporter and editor for Chicago Public Radio's WBEZ-FM. For three years he covered education issues, reporting in-depth on the problems, financial and otherwise, plaguing Chicago's public schools. In 1996, SchaperNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94David SchaperSun, 11 Feb 2018 01:54:16 +0000David Schaperhttp://kuow.org
David SchaperUpdated at 11:59 p.m. ET Federal investigators say a track switch locked in the wrong position appears to have led to Sunday's deadly Amtrak collision with an idle CSX freight train, and they are hesitant to say this latest wreck — the fourth fatal Amtrak incident in seven weeks — is part of a broader problem with what some have called a "lax safety culture" at Amtrak. Bound for Miami from Penn Station in New York City, Amtrak train No. 91 was traveling through central South Carolina when it was diverted onto a side track, where it collided head-on with a parked freight train at about 2:45 a.m. ET. Two crew members were killed and more than 100 passengers injured. Investigators for the National Transportation Safety Board appear to be focusing on two possibly related problems that may have contributed to the head-on collision. One is the position of a track switch that steered the passenger train off the mainline track and onto the siding where the freight train was parked; the secondNTSB Looks At Disabled Signals, Locked Switch In Latest Deadly Amtrak Crashhttp://kuow.org/post/after-another-fatal-train-crash-amtrak-safety-culture-questioned
121767 as http://kuow.orgMon, 05 Feb 2018 21:47:00 +0000NTSB Looks At Disabled Signals, Locked Switch In Latest Deadly Amtrak CrashDavid SchaperNational Transportation Safety Board investigators are looking into whether the engineer of the Amtrak train that derailed south of Seattle Monday morning may have been distracted by a second Amtrak employee in the cab of the locomotive. Investigators also are trying to determine why no brakes were activated by the engineer. The emergency brake activated automatically only as part of the train began to go off the rails. Answering those questions may help investigators determine the most important question of all: Why the Amtrak train was speeding along at 80 mph where it derailed — a curve and overpass over Interstate 5 near DuPont, Wash., with a speed limit of just 30 mph. Three people were killed in the derailment, and dozens more were injured. Crews are removing the tangled mess of Amtrak cars, some of which were left dangling over I-5 from the overpass bridge. Cranes are lifting the rail cars onto flatbed trailers, which are then moving them to a secure location on a nearbyDerailment Probe Looks At Speed, As Critics Cite Amtrak's 'Lax Safety Culture'http://kuow.org/post/ntsb-investigators-look-train-speed-amtrak-safety-issues-deadly-crash
118982 as http://kuow.orgTue, 19 Dec 2017 21:45:00 +0000Derailment Probe Looks At Speed, As Critics Cite Amtrak's 'Lax Safety Culture'David SchaperHow much would you pay to avoid traffic jams on your daily commute? $10? $20? How about $40? That's how much a tollway in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., charged for a short time last week. Outraged commuters call it highway robbery. But transportation officials say the high-priced toll is less about money and more about changing commuter behavior and reducing congestion, and commuters all across the country might soon see more tolls in the future. The 10-mile stretch of Interstate 66 from the Northern Virginia suburbs into the District of Columbia is like no other road in the country. It was built in the early 1980s for carpools and buses to use during rush hour. Over the years, officials have opened it up to hybrids and a few other exemptions, and in recent years, scofflaw single drivers violating the high-occupancy-vehicle-only law helped choke the road with gridlock. So Virginia's Department of Transportation is trying something controversial: ending free rides forAre $40 Toll Roads The Future?http://kuow.org/post/are-40-toll-roads-future
118546 as http://kuow.orgTue, 12 Dec 2017 23:43:00 +0000Are $40 Toll Roads The Future?David SchaperUpdated on Dec. 4 at 6:29 p.m. ET Some of the nation's 3.5 million truck drivers staged protests with their big rigs at truck stops and a few state capitols around the country on Monday, in hopes of derailing a new safety regulation that is set to take effect later this month. The truckers are hoping the Trump administration delays the Dec. 18 implementation of the federal mandate requiring commercial trucks to be equipped with electronic logging devices, or ELDs, which will monitor the time drivers spend on the road to help ensure that they don't go over the maximum number of hours they're allowed to drive. ELDs will replace old paper logbooks drivers used to track their hours, a system first developed during the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration in the 1930s. The documents sometimes are called "comic books" because they're so easily fudged, and regulators and safety advocates say truckers point to examples of other truckers falsifying logbooks, leading to deadly fatigue-relatedWhite House Pushes New Truck Safety Regulation While Loosening Obama-Era Ruleshttp://kuow.org/post/trump-administration-aims-loosen-obama-era-truck-safety-rules
117655 as http://kuow.orgWed, 29 Nov 2017 11:18:00 +0000White House Pushes New Truck Safety Regulation While Loosening Obama-Era RulesDavid SchaperCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit DAVID GREENE, HOST: While campaigning for president, Donald Trump pointed to George Papadopoulos as one of his foreign policy experts, calling him, quote, "an excellent guy." Now that Papadopoulos has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his interactions with Russians, Trump calls him low level and a proven liar. NPR's David Schaper explores the former adviser's Chicago roots and his work on another presidential campaign. DAVID SCHAPER, BYLINE: Before this week, few Americans knew the name George Papadopoulos, but 17-year-old Taylor Mauj (ph). She cuts the lawn at the North Side Chicago home Papadopoulos shares with his family. To hear now that the guy across the street is at the center of a Trump campaign controversy is... TAYLOR MAUJ: Interesting. It's kind of weird. SCHAPER: Weird not just for the neighbors but for one of Papadopoulos' former college professors. RICHARD FARKAS: I was surprised that he was a player. SCHAPER: Richard FarkasWho Is George Papadopoulos?http://kuow.org/post/who-george-papadopoulos
115864 as http://kuow.orgWed, 01 Nov 2017 09:04:00 +0000Who Is George Papadopoulos?David SchaperAs fire fighters in California's wine country worked frantically to contain and put out devastating wildfires that killed at least 42 people in recent weeks, and while his officers were still evacuating residents and searching through the burned ruins of homes for missing persons, Sonoma County Sheriff Rob Giordano had another problem to address. "I want to talk about something, there's a little rumor control issue," Giordano said during a news briefing updating the media and area residents on fire fighting efforts, evacuation orders and other urgent matters. Giordano explained that a couple of days earlier, his officers had arrested a homeless man for starting a small fire to keep warm in a local park where he was known to sleep. "There's a story out there that he's the arsonist for these fires," Giordano said. "That is not the case. There's no indication he is related to these fires at all." The erroneous story came from Breitbart News , the right-wing website run by President TrumpAre Social Media Sites Doing Enough To Combat Rumors And False News?http://kuow.org/post/are-social-media-sites-doing-enough-combat-rumors-and-false-news
115680 as http://kuow.orgSun, 29 Oct 2017 18:00:00 +0000Are Social Media Sites Doing Enough To Combat Rumors And False News?David SchaperCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST: The California wildfires have now killed at least 41 people. Residents of the northern counties burnt by the fires are asking why there weren't mass alerts telling them to evacuate when the blazes started quickly spreading last Sunday night. Reporting from Santa Rosa, here's NPR's David Schaper. DAVID SCHAPER, BYLINE: Howling winds rattling her windows made it difficult for 46-year-old Tracey Cooper to fall asleep last Sunday night. Then, a couple of hours after drifting off, she got a text from a friend in another part of town. TRACEY COOPER: It woke me up. That was about 1:30. And I went outside and kind of yelled. My neighbors were coming outside, too. SCHAPER: She recalls looking up at the sky. COOPER: I could see red over the hill. I got ashes in my eyes, and I couldn't see. The electricity suddenly went out. And we just knew that we couldn't stay. SCHAPER: Cooper woke up her two kids. They grabbed laptops, phones, aIn California, Many Wonder Why There Were No Mass Evacuation Alerts For Wildfireshttp://kuow.org/post/california-many-wonder-why-there-were-no-mass-evacuation-alerts-wildfires
114839 as http://kuow.orgMon, 16 Oct 2017 20:44:00 +0000In California, Many Wonder Why There Were No Mass Evacuation Alerts For WildfiresDavid SchaperCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit DAVID GREENE, HOST: The winds in northern California remained mostly calm over the weekend, allowing firefighters to finally get the upper hand in the battle against at least 15 wildfires. Here is Cal Fire Incident Commander Bret Gouvea. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) BRET GOUVEA: We're feeling optimistic. We're turning the corner. Things feel good in our gut as firefighters. GREENE: The fast-moving fires are the deadliest in California's history, killing at least 40 people. More than 200 people remain missing. Nearly 100,000 were evacuated from their homes. And some are just now beginning to see what, if anything, is left of them, as NPR's David Schaper reports from Santa Rosa. TRACEY COOPER: You can make a left here. DAVID SCHAPER, BYLINE: Tracey Cooper (ph) has known since just a couple of hours after she and her two children left it in the middle of the night a week ago that her home in the Fountain Grove area of Santa Rosa burned to theFirefighters Gain Ground On Wildfires Raging Across California http://kuow.org/post/firefighters-gain-ground-wildfires-raging-across-california
114799 as http://kuow.orgMon, 16 Oct 2017 12:12:00 +0000Firefighters Gain Ground On Wildfires Raging Across California David SchaperCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit SCOTT SIMON, HOST: Firefighting crews are making some progress in trying to contain the deadly wildfires in northern California. But at least 35 people have been killed. Close to 6,000 homes and businesses have been destroyed. And that makes this the deadliest and most destructive series of wildfires in California history. More than 200 people remain missing. NPR's David Schaper joins us now from Santa Rosa. David, thanks so much for being with us. DAVID SCHAPER, BYLINE: Good morning, Scott. SIMON: And have the firefighters been able to contain any of the fires? SCHAPER: Well, they're making some headway, but none of the fires are completely contained. There are close to about 20 fires that are scorching hundreds of thousands of acres all across northern California. These are very intense fires, and they're still fast moving. The good news is that there are more resources here to fight these fires, so more than 9,000 firefighters here now withFirefighters Make Progress In Calif. Wildfires As Death Toll Climbshttp://kuow.org/post/firefighters-make-progress-calif-wildfires-death-toll-climbs
114736 as http://kuow.orgSat, 14 Oct 2017 12:18:00 +0000Firefighters Make Progress In Calif. Wildfires As Death Toll ClimbsDavid SchaperCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit DAVID GREENE, HOST: The situation in Puerto Rico remains dire this morning. Many residents are stranded without enough food, water, electricity, fuel. This is, of course, a week after Hurricane Maria hit the island. There is some good news and maybe some less isolation for people on the island because the San Juan airport is finally open. But there are only a limited number of flights each day. NPR's David Schaper reports. UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN #1: We got one. UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN #2: Oh, my God (laughter). UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN #3: That's too much. DAVID SCHAPER, BYLINE: On this lot on Chicago's northwest side, a couple of women are stacking hundreds of cans of food into boxes while dozens of other volunteers carry and sort additional donated necessities from toothpaste and T-shirts to diapers and wipes. UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN #4: Baby formula, where does it go? Baby formula. SCHAPER: As pallets full of bottled water are loaded onto a truck, Vilma Colom, oneNo Electricity Limits Flights And Relief Supplies Going To Puerto Ricohttp://kuow.org/post/no-electricity-limits-flights-and-relief-supplies-going-puerto-rico
113620 as http://kuow.orgWed, 27 Sep 2017 08:58:00 +0000No Electricity Limits Flights And Relief Supplies Going To Puerto RicoDavid SchaperAs some residents of South Texas begin to dry out their homes and belongings, significant challenges lie ahead as the city of Houston and others in the affected area look to recover and rebuild. Congress is fast-tracking billions of dollars in recovery funding. But just because that down payment on Harvey recovery is on the way, that doesn't mean the rebuilding of Houston and other areas hammered by the storm's high winds and historic rains will go quickly or smoothly. Here are five challenges ahead for the Harvey recovery: 1. 100+ roads are still closed Residents can't begin to assess the damage to their homes and businesses until they can get to them, and many local roads and main thoroughfares remain flooded or closed owing to storm damage. Even those that are now dry have to be inspected for possible damage and may need some repairs before they can reopen. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday that while all the interstate highways are now open, at least 118 other roadways remainedScores Of Roads Closed. 50,000+ Displaced. Houston Still Has A Long Way To Gohttp://kuow.org/post/100-roads-closed-50000-displaced-houston-still-has-long-way-go
112401 as http://kuow.orgThu, 07 Sep 2017 20:14:00 +0000Scores Of Roads Closed. 50,000+ Displaced. Houston Still Has A Long Way To GoDavid SchaperThere isn't a city in the United States, and there are probably very few anywhere in the world, that could have handled Hurricane Harvey's 50 inches of rain without significant flooding. But Harvey was Houston's third flood in three years to surpass the "100 year flood" mark. Urban planners and civil engineers say a combination of natural and man-made factors has created a chronic drainage problem that left the city especially vulnerable to Harvey's torrential rains. Here are three reasons Houston was, in the words of one expert, a "sitting duck" for catastrophic flooding. 1. Flat landscape Houston sits just under 50 feet above sea level and is among the flattest major metropolitan areas in the U.S. "We have a slope that is less than one foot per mile," says Phil Bedient, who teaches civil and environmental engineering at Rice University. "And because of that, we have very slow draining systems." That system consists of natural bayous and man-made channels that funnel water from west3 Reasons Houston Was A 'Sitting Duck' For Harvey Floodinghttp://kuow.org/post/three-reasons-houston-was-sitting-duck-harvey-flooding
111956 as http://kuow.orgThu, 31 Aug 2017 23:30:04 +00003 Reasons Houston Was A 'Sitting Duck' For Harvey FloodingDavid SchaperModern technology has advanced the game of baseball in many ways. Teams use computer models to help strategize, data analytics to find the best players, and even tablets in the dugouts to instantly review plays. But the game itself can move at a leisurely pace — and some traditions may never change at all. Take Wrigley Field, home of the World Champion Chicago Cubs. Among the brick, ivy-covered outfield walls, the 103-year-old ballpark has new seating, dining and barroom areas, and a massive new high-definition Jumbotron. And just to the right of that Jumbotron is a living relic: a manually operated scoreboard. It's one of only two left in Major League Baseball from the days when manual scoreboards were necessary. The other is in Boston's Fenway Park. Wrigley's forest green scoreboard sits atop the highest point of the center field bleachers. The only way to get to that giant metal box in the sky is to climb up a steep ladder from the top of the bleachers through a trapdoor in theInside Wrigley Field, The Scorekeepers Stay True To Baseball's Beginningshttp://kuow.org/post/inside-wrigley-field-scorekeepers-stay-true-baseballs-beginnings
110706 as http://kuow.orgSat, 12 Aug 2017 11:36:00 +0000Inside Wrigley Field, The Scorekeepers Stay True To Baseball's BeginningsDavid SchaperTen years ago, the Interstate 35W bridge over the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis collapsed, sending cars, trucks and even a school bus that were crawling over it in bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic plummeting into the river below and onto the rocky shore. Thirteen people were killed, 145 more were injured, many of them seriously. The bridge collapse sparked immediate calls in Minnesota and across the country invest big in repairing and replacing the nation's aging and crumbling infrastructure. A decade later, experts say there have been some improvements, but there are still tens of thousands of bridges nationwide that need to be fixed or replaced. In the immediate aftermath of the 35W bridge collapse, the Minnesota Department of Transportation came under intense scrutiny. The interstate highway bridge had been classified as structurally deficient, meaning that it was aging and in need of repair. In fact, some repair work was going on when it fell. And the bridge was also10 Years After Bridge Collapse, America Is Still Crumblinghttp://kuow.org/post/10-years-after-bridge-collapse-america-still-crumbling
109955 as http://kuow.orgTue, 01 Aug 2017 13:52:00 +000010 Years After Bridge Collapse, America Is Still CrumblingDavid SchaperCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: Airlines and air traffic controllers have a method to keep air travel safe. They intensively examine incidents in which something goes wrong or even incidents in which something almost goes wrong. That was the case in San Francisco last week, when an Air Canada jet coming in for a landing almost struck a United Airlines plane waiting to take off. NPR's David Schaper reports on what investigators have learned. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) UNIDENTIFIED PILOT #1: Hello, good evening. Air Canada 759 with you, visual two eight right. DAVID SCHAPER, BYLINE: Just before midnight last Friday, the pilot of Air Canada flight 759 radioed the tower at San Francisco airport to confirm that he was to land on runway 28 right. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING UNIDENTIFIED PILOT #1: And, tower, just want to on account of 759, we see some lights on the runway there. SCHAPER: On this recording from liveatc.net, the pilot says he sees lightsFederal Officials Investigating Near Collision At San Francisco Airporthttp://kuow.org/post/federal-officials-investigating-near-collision-san-francisco-airport
108669 as http://kuow.orgThu, 13 Jul 2017 12:10:00 +0000Federal Officials Investigating Near Collision At San Francisco AirportDavid SchaperStates are not doing enough to improve safety on the roads, in the workplace and in the home, according to a new report from the National Safety Council. The group, which graded all 50 states on safety, awarded no state an "A" grade for overall safety, but 11 states received an "F." Last year, more than 146,000 people in the U.S. died in motor vehicle crashes, in falls, in fires, by drowning and by overdosing on prescription drugs, among other preventable causes — an all-time high. In addition, more than 40 million people suffer serious preventable injuries from such accidental causes each year. Fatalities from poisonings – including drug overdoses – motor vehicle crashes, falls, drowning, choking and fires have increased 7 percent since 2014, claiming a record 146,571 lives last year. So the National Safety Council evaluated what states do to protect residents from such injuries and graded them. Seven states — California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Maine, Oregon, and Washington From Drug Overdose To Fires, Council Says Preventable Deaths At An All-Time Highhttp://kuow.org/post/drug-overdose-fires-council-says-preventable-deaths-all-time-high
107604 as http://kuow.orgTue, 27 Jun 2017 15:45:00 +0000From Drug Overdose To Fires, Council Says Preventable Deaths At An All-Time HighDavid SchaperCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: Now to St. Paul, Minn., where protesters shut down a highway last night marching to protest the acquittal of a police officer charged in connection with the shooting death of Philando Castile during a traffic stop last year. Castile's girlfriend streamed the immediate aftermath on Facebook Live. His death sparked massive demonstrations and underscored the national debate over police treatment of young black men. While it's quieter in St. Paul today, NPR's David Schaper reports on how the acquittal has reopened old wounds. UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER: (Chanting) Say his name. UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: (Chanting) Philando Castile. UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER: (Chanting) Say his name. UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: (Chanting) Philando Castile. DAVID SCHAPER, BYLINE: After staging a rally at the Minnesota state Capitol Friday night, hundreds of protesters took to the streets of St. Paul, shouting and chanting along the way. UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER:Protesters Take To The Streets After Not-Guilty Verdict In Philando Castile Casehttp://kuow.org/post/protesters-take-streets-after-not-guilty-verdict-philando-castile-case
106991 as http://kuow.orgSat, 17 Jun 2017 22:04:00 +0000Protesters Take To The Streets After Not-Guilty Verdict In Philando Castile CaseDavid SchaperCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: Not guilty - that's the verdict today in the trial of a Minnesota police officer who killed a black driver nearly a year ago, sparking national protests. Officer Geronimo Yanez shot at Philando Castile seven times during a traffic stop. As Castile sat bleeding to death, his girlfriend began filming. She streamed the video to Facebook Live. Millions of people saw it. NPR's David Schaper has been covering jury deliberations this week and joins us now from Saint Paul. David, Yanez faced manslaughter charges, and he was acquitted. How did Castile's family react? DAVID SCHAPER, BYLINE: Well, Ari, there was an audible and angry outburst in the courtroom from Castile's mother, Valerie Castile. She swore. She was quite upset. She and other family members and supporters cried both inside the courtroom and then later outside of the courthouse. She did speak with reporters outside of the courthouse. And as the news seemed to sink in ofMinnesota City To Dismiss Officer Acquitted In Shooting Of Philando Castilehttp://kuow.org/post/minnesota-city-dismiss-officer-acquitted-shooting-philando-castile
106953 as http://kuow.orgFri, 16 Jun 2017 23:16:00 +0000Minnesota City To Dismiss Officer Acquitted In Shooting Of Philando CastileDavid SchaperTwo juries deliberating in high profile criminal trials this week appeared to be unable to reach agreement on a verdict. The judges overseeing those trials sent the jurors in both cases back to continue deliberations. In Pennsylvania, four days after getting the case, the jury considering sexual assault charges against Bill Cosby told the judge they couldn't reach a unanimous decision on any of the three counts against the 79-year-old actor and comedian. The judge directed them to keep talking and as Thursday evening fell, the panel of seven men and five women were still at it. In Minnesota, the jury considering the fate of a police officer charged in the shooting death of a black motorist, Philando Castile, finished its fourth day of deliberations Thursday without reaching a verdict, went home, and resumes deliberations Friday morning. With these two high profile cases seemingly teetering on the brink of hung juries this week, you might think it happens quite often. But hung juriesThe Cosby And Yanez Juries Appear Deadlocked. Now What?http://kuow.org/post/cosby-and-yanez-juries-appear-deadlocked-now-what
106877 as http://kuow.orgFri, 16 Jun 2017 09:00:00 +0000The Cosby And Yanez Juries Appear Deadlocked. Now What?David Schaperhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71s3bh8acZA President Trump announced Monday a plan to privatize the nation's air traffic control system — a move that would remove the job of tracking and guiding airplanes from the purview of the Federal Aviation Administration. "Today we're proposing to take American air travel into the future, finally," Trump said. The nation's air traffic control system was designed when far fewer people flew, Trump said, calling it "stuck, painfully, in the past." He also called the system "ancient, broken, antiquated" and "horrible" and said his reforms would make it safer and more reliable. The FAA has worked to upgrade its system, but Trump and other critics say it was taking far too long. "Honestly, they didn't know what the hell they were doing," Trump said. "A total waste of money." Privatization of air traffic control is an idea long supported by most of the commercial airlines. Executives from those companies joined the president at the White House toTrump Announces Plan To Privatize Air Traffic Controlhttp://kuow.org/post/trump-announces-plan-privatize-air-traffic-control
106073 as http://kuow.orgMon, 05 Jun 2017 16:24:00 +0000Trump Announces Plan To Privatize Air Traffic Control